Social Networking Websites and Teens from Pew Internet & American Life Project

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The latest report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project titled Social Networking Websites and Teens: An Overview. Pew reports are especially interesting as they are nationally representative and follow a consistent methodology and their data is well respected. Pew also makes some of their datasets and questionnaires available for further research.

A social networking site is an online place where a user can create a profile and build a personal network that connects him or her to other users. In the past five years, such sites have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users. More than half (55%) of all online American youths ages 12-17 use online social networking sites, according to a new national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project. The survey also finds that older teens, particularly girls, are more likely to use these sites. For girls, social networking sites are primarily places to reinforce pre-existing friendships; for boys, the networks also provide opportunities for flirting and making new friends.

• 55% of online teens have created a personal profile online, and 55% have used social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook.
• 66% of teens who have created a profile say that their profile is not visible to all internet users.
• 48% of teens visit social networking websites daily or more often; 26% visit once a day, 22% visit several times a day.
• Older girls ages 15-17 are more likely to have used social networking sites and created online profiles; 70% of older girls have used an online social network compared with 54% of older boys, and 70% of older girls have created an online profile, while only 57% of older boys have done so.

Readers may also be interested in Pew and Elon University's September report on the Future of the Internet part II which includes predictions collected from a "survey of internet leaders, activists, and analysts." In addition to the PDF of the report further details and quotes are available at the Imagining the Internet site.